In my last post I promised some pictures of me celebrating my birthday week and my new sense of vitality. On Sunday after church my friend Elizabeth and I traveled to Pennsylvania to visit my sister and brother-in-law in the Pocono Mountains. Yesterday morning I went to my sister’s boxing class. What fun! And a great workout. In the afternoon we went to Camelback Mountain Adventures where Elizabeth and I went zip lining and rode the mountain coaster. The coaster was fun, but the zip line was absolutely amazing and breathtaking! Here are several pictures of the experiences yesterday.

Until next time, peace …

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Today I am celebrating another trip around the sun! I feel especially alive this year as I am 138 pounds lighter than I was on my last birthday! Has the journey been easy? Heck no! But has the journey been worth it? Absolutely! I am grateful for the love and support of my family and friends during this time and I am especially grateful to God that I am able to experience all that life holds in a way that I could not do 138 pounds ago. Look for some posts later this week with pictures of me celebrating my new vitality!

I know it has been quite some time since my last post. I haven’t done so well with the weekly Psalm memorization I had intended, but each week I have at least reflected on the Psalm that corresponds with the number of pounds shed. That should count for something, right? 😊 And the good news is that once I lose another 12 pounds, the guilt of the Psalm memorization will go away! (There are only 150 Psalms).

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During my weight loss journey, I have often searched for comparisons to the amount of weight I’ve shed. For example, 20 pounds equals an automobile tire; 90 pounds equals a newborn calf; 118 pounds equals an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannica. Wow! Does that bring back memories? Who has a set of encyclopedias anymore?!?

One thing struck me, however, as I reviewed the chart: 117 pounds equals the average supermodel (and she’s 5’ 11”!). I’ve lost a whole person – albeit a very thin person – but I have lost a whole person and then some! The last two weeks I have shed just one pound each week and this week I’ve shed two, bringing my total to 125. Yes, I have shed 125 pounds! It seems rather hard to fathom.

This week also marked the 6-month anniversary of my surgery. I didn’t take measurements before starting the process, but on my 2-month anniversary (April 1) I began measuring my waist, hips, bust, thigh, calf and upper arms. In the last four months, I have lost 40 inches! I can’t even begin to imagine the total number of inches I’ve lost since I entered the bariatric program last July.

Last week I finally started going through my closets to get rid of my “fat” (or “fatter”) clothes. Starting with blazers, jackets and outerwear, I purposely tried on each item and stood in front of the mirror so I could get a visual. It was quite emotional as I literally wrapped some of the jackets around me. I’m still processing and unpacking some of that emotion – perhaps that will be the subject of a future blog post – but those visuals certainly keep me motivated.

On this journey toward health and wholeness, I am recognizing that the transformation is both inward and outward and that I am in a process of living into all that God has created and called me to be. I want to lose another 45 pounds by January 2019 when I travel to Liberia on a mission trip. The program is called Farmer to Farmer and it is a mission of the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church. Farmer to Farmer partners with the United Methodist Church in Harrisburg, Liberia to teach sustainable farming, as well as support a sewing school and preschool. They are also working to build an Ag Tech school. Traveling to Africa has always been a dream of mine and this trip will allow me to share the gospel and use my teaching skills to make a difference in the lives of others. It will also aid in broadening my understanding of humanity and global situations through a theological lens.

I appreciate your prayers for me over the last several months and I ask for your continued prayers as our mission team is gathered and begins preparation for the trip.

Should you wish to support my trip beyond prayers, here is a link to One Mission, a marketplace website that allows one to purchase with a purpose or make a donation.

I am grateful for all the support I’ve received from so many people over the last six months. I cannot wait to see what the next six months hold.

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John Maxwell once said, “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” I firmly believe there is success in routine. After a month of (good!) craziness that disrupted my daily exercise and eating, I’ve been back in my regular routine for almost two weeks and it’s been wonderful! I spent 7 hours and 45 minutes exercising in the pool this week which was glorious! And it has paid off. For the last four weeks I have shed two pounds each week – certainly nothing to balk at! – but this week I shed six pounds, bringing my total to 121. Yippee!

For those who have been following my Psalm memorization, yes, this means I bypassed Psalm 119. Another reason to rejoice! Not that it’s a bad psalm, but 176 verses are a tad much to memorize, don’t you think?!

This week’s weight loss also brings me to another milestone. I am at my lowest weight in 25 years – my college graduation weight. I went searching through pictures today and was only able to find one from my college graduation. It’s not the best picture of me (quite honestly, I look constipated!), but I created a side-by-side for comparison. I have about 20 pounds to go to get to my high school graduation weight.

As I continue the journey I recognize that “my help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121: 2).

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.4 He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.

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They (whoever “they” are) say that no news is good news and, for me and this journey, that is basically true. It’s been four weeks since I have posted updates about my weight loss. The month of June was CRAZY! There was Licensing School and its follow up at the beginning of the month. Then there was a week at Annual Conference. And last week I was on a mission trip in Indianapolis with 52 youth and adults from the Firelands District. To say that June was busy is an understatement! All of that “busy”ness and time away can cause challenges with eating and exercise. I missed my time in the pool, but all things considered, I fared pretty well. I continued to shed weight throughout the month bringing my new favorite number to 115 as of this morning’s weigh-in!

The biggest challenge in June, though, was trying to fulfill my commitment to memorize a Psalm each week. It started out well, but I didn’t make it the last three weeks. I take consolation in the fact that even though I didn’t memorize Psalms 107, 109, 111 and 113, I did spend time reading and reflecting on them, knowing that “the Lord is gracious and merciful” (Psalm 111:4a).

So this week I will “get back on the wagon” with this discipline and memorize Psalm 115: 1 – 9 (not all 18 verses).

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”

3 Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases.4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; they make no sound in their throats.8 Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them.

9 O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

The pictures below, taken a few days ago, show my five-month post-op progress.

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After last week’s brief stall, I am pleased to report that I shed 4 pounds this week, bringing my total to 107 (27 before surgery, 80 since surgery February 1).

Following my resolve to memorize Psalms based on my current “favorite number,” this week my focus will be Psalm 107. As I read through this and surrounding psalms, I began to wonder if this was the best decision. Quite honestly, I wish I had lost 5 pounds this week because Psalm 108 has only 13 verses. Psalm 107, however, has 43! Eek! I know that I cannot realistically memorize all those verses in the next several days, especially since I have Annual Conference this week. (For my non-United Methodist friends, Annual Conference is a time when clergy and lay leadership from local congregations in our region gather for several days of worship, celebrations of ministry, and to tend to the business of the church). So I am going to memorize the first stanza of Psalm 107 – nine verses. That’s certainly manageable.

I continue to give thanks to God for renewed health and energy, and for God’s grace, mercy and steadfast love in all things.

Until next time, peace …

Psalm 107: 1 – 9

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;for his steadfast love endures forever.2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,those he redeemed from trouble3 and gathered in from the lands,from the east and from the west,from the north and from the south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastes,finding no way to an inhabited town;5 hungry and thirsty,their soul fainted within them.6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,and he delivered them from their distress;7 he led them by a straight way,until they reached an inhabited town.8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,for his wonderful works to humankind.9 For he satisfies the thirsty,and the hungry he fills with good things.

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So this is the first week since my surgery on February 1 that I did not lose any weight. The good news is that I didn’t gain any weight either! So, as of Friday, June 1, my weight loss remains at 103 pounds. Still not too shabby for four months post op!

Last week was no ordinary week for me. I have the privilege of serving as the Dean of the East Ohio Conference UMC Clergy Licensing School and our school was in session at the University of Mount Union last week. Our schedule during Licensing School is pretty intense with our days starting at 7:00 a.m. and not ending until after 9:00 p.m. It was a great week with a wonderful new class of gifted clergy! Of course, being away, though, my routine was altered. I didn’t get to the pool and the menu for the week was not completely within my control. The food at Mount Union is always very good, but I needed to supplement with protein bars and shakes. And admittedly, I snacked a bit more on protein bars (particularly late at night to stay awake!) than I probably should have. All in all, though, I think I did pretty well.

Another positive aspect of staying at 103 pounds is that it gave me more time to memorize Psalm 103. During the busy week I didn’t have as much time to devote to that discipline as I had planned.

I am back at the pool this week and anticipate a new “favorite number” on Friday.